


What It All Means

by elephanteye



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:28:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23789332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elephanteye/pseuds/elephanteye
Summary: During a mission, Ron is left behind on enemy territory. Without any means to contact him, the Order has no way of knowing if he's alive; miraculously, he is - all thanks to a certain blond Slytherin.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	What It All Means

Hermione sighed, now accustomed to the feeling of emptiness in her chest. It was supposed to be an easy mission, but they said Ron had been separated from the group and missed the portkey.

As soon as she saw them from the window, she sprinted out the front door. Harry was a right mess. Once he’d figured out what had happened, he'd tried to go back for Ron, but of course they wouldn’t let him. Remus had to lock his arms around Harry as he thrashed around on the front lawn of the safehouse, trying to get to the portkey they all knew was already deactivated. By the time she and Molly got to them, Harry was broken down on the ground with tears running down his face, a broken jumble of apologies falling from his lips like a litany.

Harry locked himself in his room after that. Only Molly was able to get him to open the door, but just to the extent of leaving food and drink for him.

Hermione knew it was best to leave him be. She understood that he had to close off from the world just for a little while and he’d come back to face it again. He was too self-sacrificing of a person not to. He had also been this way when Justin died, as well as when Seamus died. _Merlin_ , they had lost so many already.

She kept a list of names, at least the ones she knew of. _Albus_ _Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Susan Bones, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet, Fred Weasley, Parvati Patil, Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Seamus Finnigan._

She had a sheet of parchment in her bag where it was written down. She knew it like the back of her hand, but it calmed her somewhat to carry around – like she couldn’t ever forget them. Some days she would stare at it and feel nothing, other days it would be crippling to look at. Now, she couldn’t imagine adding Ron’s name to the list. Although her school crush on him was long gone, she almost deliriously had to believe he was okay, thinking of him being at a different safehouse.

She couldn’t imagine losing him – someone who had accepted her and had been the truest friend. She couldn’t imagine Harry losing him, the first real family he had ever had. She couldn’t imagine the Weasleys losing him, another son and brother.

_Gods, let him be alright._

\---

All Ron could feel was pain.

_Bloody hell, where am I?_

He peered his eyes open, and it really was harder than it should have been. It was a little cold and it was dank. He tried feeling for his wand in his pockets, but he didn’t have it. Looking around, it seemed like he was in a cave.

 _What was the last thing you remember? Think, Ron, think, think._ The mission. Death eaters closing in on him.

 _Merlin, where’s Harry? Were they all okay?_ He prayed to the heavens above that they were. Why was he alive? And not in a dungeon, but a cave?

“Finally awake then, Sleeping Beauty?”

Ron froze. He knew that voice, he’d heard it growing up and would reckon it used to be the most annoying sound he had ever listened to. Turning his head, his eyes landed on none other than Draco Malfoy, ferret extraordinaire.


End file.
